Unauthorized Use of Deceased Resident’s Debit Card by Facility Employee
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to protect a resident’s personal funds from misappropriation when a facility employee used the resident’s debit card without authorization. The resident had been admitted with a diagnosis of failure to thrive and later died in the facility. After the resident’s death and discharge, bank records showed multiple processed transactions on the resident’s debit card, including charges at a restaurant, grocery store, drug store, coffee shop, donut shop, and dry cleaners. These transactions occurred on and after the date of the resident’s death. The resident’s daughter reported that she discovered the unauthorized charges after her mother died and confirmed with the bank that the charges began on the day of death. She filed a police report and stated that the facility was contacted and video footage confirmed a facility employee using the resident’s debit card. The Administrator confirmed that the family reported unauthorized use of the debit card, that an investigation was initiated with local law enforcement, and that police obtained video surveillance showing a facility employee using the resident’s debit card after the resident’s death. The Administrator acknowledged that a facility employee used the resident’s debit card and that this should not have occurred.
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